SPCA: No violations at Eckhart property

September 22, 2013

SPCA humane-law officers, veterinarians, vet techs and other officials were prepared to remove many animals from Derbe Eckhart'ts property just outside Emmaus Saturday.

But the cages, horse trailers, RV-size vehicles or other equipment were not needed, as officials found the 200-plus animals on the convicted animal abuser's Upper Milford Township property to be well cared for, according to Pennsylvania SPCA spokeswoman Ela Voluck. Not a single animal was removed.

The investigation into possible violations of state anti-cruelty laws will continue, Voluck said Sunday, and "Skip" Eckhart still faces a county judge for allegedly violating conditions of his parole that limited the number of animals he could possess.

But the 45-year-old Eckhart, who said he'd learned his lesson prior to his 2010 sentencing for animal abuse, passed the test Saturday. "The conditions were found to be clean, and all the animals were taken care of — not malnourished or [exhibiting] signs of disease" or other problems, Voluck said.

County probation officers had described finding an "unhealthy environment" for some of the animials at the property during their Sept. 16 visit, and raised questions about the animals' care, according to a county news release. Voluck could not specify the county's concerns, or say whether conditions had changed by the time of Saturday's investigation.

Eckhart, the former operator of the Almost Heaven animal boarding kennel on the property, is free on bail pending a hearing on the alleged parole violation, according to county officials.